Things just aren’t the same at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge today – due to the partial government shutdown. The Refuge staff has been furloughed. They are not being paid, and their work is not being done, creating a month-long backlog – so far!
The Visitor Center is closed although the trails are open. At the Wildlife Observation Center, the most popular visitor destination at the Refuge, the automatic gate has malfunctioned and cannot be repaired until the government shutdown has ended. So visitors have to park in the small area in front of the gate and walk in from there.
The Friends are also being affected negatively by this situation. The Nature Shop, located in the Visitor Center, is closed and Friends have received no income from sales in over a month. Regularly scheduled programs, such as the January Second Sunday program, had to be cancelled. Committee planning meetings have not been held, which affects development of the Calendar of Events, creating new interpretive exhibits, and outreach programs.
Volunteers donate their time and talents to the Refuge because it’s a place we care about. Right now, volunteers are also on leave and their projects are on hold. Plans to renovate the Garden Club Blind have been brought to a stand-still as well as other initiatives.
The Refuge works with a number of other partners and those workshops and programs have also been affected or cancelled due to the continuing shutdown.
The number of people affected by the shutdown at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is unknown, but as you can imagine, there is a ripple effect which touches many people directly or indirectly – whether they are U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees, volunteers, visitors, partners, and those who would have participated in events, programs, or workshops.
Contact your Congressional representatives and urge them to end the shutdown so the staff can return to work, volunteers can resume their duties and Congress can get busy with the real issues – the reason we sent them to Washington in the first place.
Friday, November 30 through Sunday, December 2, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Start your holiday shopping at the Friends Nature Shop.
10% discount on all items – 20% discount for members
Not a member? Join any time. Your membership discount is effective immediately.
Check out our unique and original gift items for kids and adults; nature books, puzzles and games; sweatshirts, fleece, denim, hats and more. We will also have DVD copies of Saving the Great Swamp for sale.
Free parking, no lines, hands-on activities for kids in the Discovery Den.
All Nature Shop proceeds are used to fund Refuge projects – so you are also supporting your favorite place – Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
November is Turkey Time!
On Saturday, November 24, join us for the Annual Turkey Walk — a chance to walk off that Thanksgiving turkey dinner. It’s a leisurely walk along service roads, a good birding opportunity, and we might even see a turkey! This is an informal guided walk into the Management Area, normally closed to the public, about 1 ½ miles round trip. Saturday, November 24, 1 – 2:30 p.m. Meet at the Bluebird Parking Lot, 197 Pleasant Plains Road, Harding Township. Please be prompt.
Celebrate Double Discount Days in December!
Holiday shopping, Friday, November 30 – Sunday, December 2, at the Friends Nature Shop located at the Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center. We carry nature books and field guides, nature-themed gift items, jewelry, puzzles, plush, and Judy’s pottery. Enjoy a 10% discount on all purchases and 20% if you are a Friends member. Can you imagine a better place to do your holiday shopping? No lines, free parking, and best of all, proceeds are used to fund Refuge projects and programs. Shop for your family and friends and support Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
Don’t forget Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is a great place to visit in the winter. Raptors can be seen hunting over the fields along Pleasant Plains Road. Herons and ducks are still around until the water freezes over. The feeders at the Visitor Center are always busy – a great place to learn your backyard birds and to get started on your Junior Refuge Manager Activity Guide. There are fewer people and no bugs! Enjoy your national wildlife refuge.
Photo: Jane Bell
Celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Join us for guided Sunset Walks, a unique birding event, and a special Second Sunday program.
Sunset Walks every night.
Sunday, October 14 – Saturday, October 20, 5:30 pm – dark. Meet at Bluebird Parking Lot, 197 Pleasant Plains Road.
Easy guided walk on service roads to watch flock after flock of migrating ducks descend into the Refuge pools to spend the night. It’s awesome. Easy walk on service roads, about a mile round-trip.
Special Photographer Sunset Walk
Thursday, October 18, 4:30 pm – dark. Meet at Bluebird Parking Lot, 197 Pleasant Plains Road.
Get out to the impoundments and set up your cameras early.
The Big Sit.
Sunday, October 14, during Refuge hours. Meet at the Overlook on Pleasant Plains Road.
Volunteers will be counting all the bird species seen or heard from the Overlook Parking Lot. Stop by any time to learn more about birds and bird identification, or to help with the count. For beginning or experienced birders. It’s a great way to learn and to participate in citizen science.
Guided Bird Walk to Join The Big Sit.
Sunday, October 14, 9:00 am
Join walk leaders Carolyn and Corinne on a guided bird walk. We’ll meet at the Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center and bird our way down Pleasant Plains Road to join The Big Sit! It’s Fall Migration, so there should be lots to see (and hear)!
Second Sunday – Great Swamp Wilderness Area Turns 50.
Sunday, October 14, 1:30 – 3:00
Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center
In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Great Swamp Wilderness Act, protecting 3,660 acres of the Refuge as part of the National Wilderness Preservatoin System. Join Deputy Manager Lia McLaughlin to learn why this was significant, what’s so special about Wilderness, and the unique restrictions imposed by the Law. And, of course, to celebrate – there will be cake!
The days are getting shorter – and cooler – signals that fall migration is getting into full swing. Each year, during the second full week of October, wildlife refuges around the country celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week, a time to visit and learn about a wildlife refuge near your home. Fall is a great time to visit Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Spend some time at the Wildlife Observation Center or at the Overlook to enjoy the fall season and the many migrating birds. Stop by the Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center to find out what birds have been reported – or to report your sightings. Take advantage of our free public events. In signing the original National Wildlife Refuge Week proclamation in 1995, former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Mollie Beattie remarked: “It’s a time for all Americans to learn about and celebrate this magnificent collection of lands we as a people have set aside for wildlife.” Come celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week at your national wildlife refuge.
Sunday, October 7, 1:00 pm at NJ Audubon Society’s Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary
In 2017, George Heinrich and his team from the Florida Turtle Conservation Trust, crossed the country to find as many of the 62 species of turtles in the United States as they could in a single year. On December 27, they logged species number 57!
Turtles play significant ecological roles, are visible in many habitats, and are the most endangered wildlife group in the world. The purpose of The Big Turtle Year was to highlight the conservation needs of North American wild turtles and to increase awareness regarding the status of this often overlooked species. A national lecture series has been developed to disseminate this information to a wide range of audiences.
As part of that lecture series, on Sunday, October 7, George Heinrich will share the exciting adventure of The Big Turtle Year. He will talk about the rich diversity of this species, natural history and conservation needs. You will hear about the threats facing turtles and the actions that are needed to support their well-being.
This program is being co-sponsored by New Jersey Audubon Society and will be held at the Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary, 11 Hardscrabble Road, Bernardsville, NJ. Join us for an amazing adventure story. For more information check out George’s blog here.
Fall in the swamp is an almost magical season. Spectacular autumn foliage, awesome bird migrations and perhaps the best weather of the year. So to get an early start, you’re invited to the 19th Annual Fall Festival at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. On September 15, from 10:00 to 3:00, we will once again offer an exciting variety of exhibits and activities for the whole family. And like the wildlife in our refuge, it’s all free.
This year our theme is “Trees”, and there will be guided “tree walks” on our trails where you can learn from the experts. If creatures are your thing, we will have close-up exhibits of birds, frogs, fish and reptiles. Kids can build a birdhouse or climb on the refuge’s massive heavy equipment. And then there’s the always popular river seining in the Passaic where you will see… well…who knows?
All this plus target archery, photo contest winners, free hot dogs on the grill, fall apples and more. It will all be at the Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center, rain or shine. You can see our informative, suitable-for-framing poster announcing the festival here. So mark your calendars, and follow us on Facebook for updates and announcements. We look forward to seeing you here at the swamp. And don’t worry. If you stay on the walkways you won’t fall in.
Great Swamp is TREE-MENDOUS
Fall Festival
Saturday, September 15
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center
32 Pleasant Plains Road
Harding Township, NJ
(Exit 30A from Route 287)
973-425-9510